Radio frequency identification (RFID) devices/tags are small electronic devices that include a chip and an antenna. The chip is typically capable of carrying a small amount of data. RFID devices/tags can be powered or passive devices. If the RFID device/tag is powered, then it may include a power source such as a battery. On the other hand, if the RFID device/tag is passive, then it may be powered by a reader's radio waves with the antenna doubling as a source of inductive power. RFID devices/tags may also combine both inductive and battery power sources, in which case they may be termed semi-passive. Generally, RFID devices/tags can operate with a range of up to 20 feet or more.
Similar to RFID devices/tags, near field communication (NFC) devices/tags may also include a small chip and antenna. Generally, NFC devices/tags are short-range wireless technology that enable the communication between devices over a short distance, perhaps in the range of zero to twenty centimeters. NFC devices/tags are generally powered by magnetic field induction.
Current RFID and NFC devices/tags used in tracking, identification, and anti-counterfeiting applications do not support strong, secure security mechanisms, and accordingly are vulnerable in the systems that deploy them. In addition, RFID and NFC devices/tags typically have extremely limited computational capabilities. Accordingly, traditional distributed multi-party computation techniques for securing communication protocols are not feasible for use with these RFID and NFC devices/tags.